The bottom of the Premier League is beginning to get quite exciting, isn\’t it?
As we gear up for Week 26 of the 2017-18 term, only seven points separates the 10 teams in the bottom half of the table. It means matches between sides in the lower reaches of the division already feel so important; a team can make rapid progress with three points.
It\’s why a couple of encounters that aren\’t quite so glamorous make it into this week\’s selection of marquee matches. The other sees Tottenham Hotspur traveling to Liverpool in a game that\’ll have a major bearing on who finishes in the top four.
West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton
Despite being bottom of the Premier League as they head into the weekend fixtures, there\’s some positivity at West Brom.
Alan Pardew steered the Baggies to their first win since August against Brighton recently and followed that with a determined draw at Everton. A 3-2 win at Liverpool in the FA Cup was another sign of progress being made under the new manager.
Momentum took a bit of a hit in midweek against Manchester City, though such is the talent of the league leaders, a loss at the Etihad Stadium is almost expected. The one big positive from that encounter was that Daniel Sturridge made his first appearance for the club following his loan move from Liverpool.
You suspect Pardew will unleash the striker from the start on Saturday, as they welcome the worst team in the division to the Hawthorns in Southampton.
For Mauricio Pellegrino\’s men it\’s now 12 top-flight games without a victory, and they were booed off by their own supporters in midweek after a 1-1 draw with Brighton. They\’ve been sleepwalking down the Premier League and could find themselves bottom of the pile if results go against them this weekend.
Despite their perilous position at the bottom of the table, West Brom appear to at least be on an upward trajectory. That\’ll be enough to see them past Saints and to three priceless points.
Pick: 1-0 (7.50 Betfair, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle United
There\’s no doubting the astute job Roy Hodgson has done since arriving at Crystal Palace, with the team picking up some brilliant results under his guidance. But they still haven\’t quite pulled away from danger.
Palace supporters would\’ve taken 13th position and three points clear of trouble after seven games, when they hadn\’t scored a goal or picked up a point. Now they\’ll be hopeful of a couple of more wins that can propel them completely clear of relegation worries.
Of the remaining fixtures this term, this showdown with Newcastle is one of the games Hodgson will be targeting as an opportunity to pick up maximum points. And, given the struggles of the Magpies, potentially push a positional rival closer to the bottom three.
Newcastle is just a point clear of trouble, after all. There\’s an undercurrent of tension at the club at the moment, too, as their January business was underwhelming and the ownership of Mike Ashley continues to rile supporters. That a takeover hasn\’t been completed by now will be a concern for the Geordie faithful.
Manager Rafael Benitez doesn\’t have the deepest squad to work with and while the side is typically organized, at the top end of the pitch they\’ve showcased little cutting edge. Islam Slimani, who arrived on loan from Leicester in January, will hope to provide that.
Selhurst Park has proven a tough place to go since Hodgson took charge of Palace, with Southampton — in his first game — and Arsenal the only teams to have won there in that time. Another win here will give the London club some breathing room in their quest to stay afloat in the top flight.
Pick: 2-1 (9.00 Ladbrokes, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur
With Manchester City streaking clear at the top of the table and Arsenal limping behind the top five in the sixth spot, it feels like it\’ll be three teams from four for the remaining Champions League spots.
Liverpool occupies one of those, as they sit in third. Despite this and despite spending a world-record sum on a defender in January, there\’s a small sense of angst at Anfield. Not only have they lost disappointingly to Swansea and West Brom recently, they lost Philippe Coutinho and didn\’t replace him.
A win over Huddersfield on Tuesday has at least eased some fears of momentum slipping away this season and was a reminder that the Liverpool side assembled by Jurgen Klopp is among the best in the country.
Indeed, to be two points ahead of this Tottenham team at this point is impressive. After all, Spurs have arguably the best XI in the division outside of Manchester City and in Harry Kane have the league\’s most potent goalscorer. Beating Spurs and putting a five-point gap to them would be huge for Liverpool.
While Spurs don\’t have the best record at Anfield or away athe rest of the Premier League\’s top six, it\’s at this point in the season where they tend to really click under Mauricio Pochettino. There were signs of that on Wednesday, as they brushed past Manchester United with a swagger.
They won\’t be able to do that at Anfield, where the atmosphere will be red-hot and the Reds will respond. Even so, Spurs have it in them to cause big issues for this Liverpool defense and in the end will do enough to earn a point. You suspect both sides would be content with that if offered pre-match.
Pick: 1-1 (8.00 William Hill, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Burnley vs. Manchester City
After such an encouraging start to the campaign, Burnley is beginning to look a little jaded 23 games in. Manager Sean Dyche will be desperate for a win to steady the ship, as they\’ve not picked up three points for eight games. Unfortunately for them, the sky-blue City juggernaut is visiting at the wrong time.
Pick: 0-2 (6.50 Betfair, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Bournemouth vs. Stoke City
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe hailed his side\’s 3-0 win at Chelsea on Wednesday as the finest result in the club\’s history, so there\’s no doubt spirits will be high on Saturday when they welcome Stoke. The Potters have improved under Paul Lambert, but the Cherries will have too much firepower for them to cope with.
Pick: 3-1 (15.00 William Hill, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Brighton vs. West Ham
It\’s another big one at the bottom and the pressure is on for Brighton here, with their home form their most likely route out of trouble. West Ham hasn\’t lost in their last six and under David Moyes have shown tremendous levels of organization despite a recent injury crisis. They\’ll do enough to grind out a draw and take another small step to safety.
Pick:1-1 (6.50 William Hill, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Leicester City vs. Swansea
Leicester\’s preparations for their game against Everton were disrupted by Riyad Mahrez\’s desperation to move on to Manchester City, and they were far from their best as a result. Swansea, meanwhile, heads to the Foxes after back-to-back wins against Liverpool and Arsenal. After such a colossal effort in recent weeks, the Swans will slip up here.
Pick: 2-1 (8.50 William Hill, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Manchester United vs. Huddersfield
It\’s not often Jose Mourinho sees his team ground down like they were against Spurs on Wednesday, and a response to that chastening loss feels inevitable. Huddersfield, dropping like a stone at the moment, feels like an ideal opponent for the Red Devils, although David Wagner\’s men did beat United earlier this term.
Pick: 3-0 (6.50 Betfair, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Arsenal vs. Everton
The Emirates Stadium crowd will get their first glimpse of new record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Saturday, as well as Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Arsenal was wretched against Swansea in midweek, whereas Everton picked up a big win thanks to former Gunner Theo Walcott. The Toffees will make this tough, but the hosts will eventually find a way.
Pick: 2-1 (9.00 William Hill, at our green-listed bookmakers)
Watford vs. Chelsea
Something\’s not quite right at Chelsea, as the Blues were abject in their hammering at the hands of Bournemouth; manager Antonio Conte, in particular, has cut a furious figure at times. In Watford they\’ll take on a side also struggling to put together positive results and despite their troubles, the Premier League champions should have enough to scrap to victory.
Pick: 0-1 (7.50 Betfair, at our green-listed bookmakers)
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